The Nectar of Door to Door Book Distribution
Dear Prabhus,
Please accept my humble obeisances. Al glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Sri Rangavati Dasi and I decided to try some door to door sankirtan while we were in Dallas over the weekend. Srila Prabhupada wrote in his books 90 times that devotees go door to door to spread the teachings of Lord Krsna. Compared to public places I find door to door to be slow. Although less books get sold in the same amount of time, there is a charming painlessness to this approach. You do not have to stop people. They come to the door.
We chose a block near Radha Kalachandji's temple, called Cristler Road, and began knocking. The first door that opened was a suspicious lady who peered out behind a curtain. She felt more at ease with us after she had the Bhagavad Gita in her hand. Her name was Stephanie and she told us how she is a regular customer in Kalachandji's restaurant. The next door neighbor was a bearded long hair type named Abraham, who also is a a patron at "Kalachandji's". Both of them bought Bhagavad Gita's. It helps to have a restaurant adjacent with the local temple.
The next house was Marcos. We explained that this literature is similar knowledge to the ancient civilizations in Mexico. He and the couple he is staying with both bought 'Viaje Facil de Otra Planetas' An African American family took a liking to the "Bhagavad Gita" and gave all the change they could muster through the house to keep the book. A black car with Carlos and his girlfriend was pulling out of a driveway but stopped and bought a "Viaje Facil de Otros Plantes".
One house could not get the mercy as we were greeted by a pair of snarling dogs and their barking owner. Then we approached another place that looked like it would be just as bad. It was an old white washed house with tools spread about the front porch. The steps were rickety and bowed, the front door hung off its hinges. An old grizzly looking man with stained clothes opened the door and gave us a puzzled look. His grey unshaven appearance was of someone I would not normally approach to give a book to.
I thought, having got this far, we might as well try. We handed big 'Raul' a Bhagavad Gita and opened up to the verse ' The humble sage by virtue of true knowledge sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahman, a cow, an elephant, a dog and an out caste dog-eater'. He read the statement through and I said to him "You seem very intelligent, perhaps you are an educator of many different people." He asked, "How did you know that?" I was about to answer that I say that to everyone. Then he added, "I have a PHD, I was a university lecturer." "A PHD!", I exclaimed in surprise. "You'd be just the right person to add this book to your library."
We flipped the pages to another verse "Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these Kings, nor in the future shall any of us cease to be." Raul was impressed and asked "Should I give a donation now? I said, "Yes please." He went back into the house over the creaking floor and returned with a crisp $20 note. We offered to bring him prasadam from our restaurant later that night. After the ecstatic Sunday feast at Sri Sri Radha Kalachanji's we returned with a plate of lasagna prasadam. Raul answered the door and his face lit up on seeing the plate of Krishna's mercy.
I hope this meets you well.
Your Servant,
Mishra Bhagavan Dasa
